Apricot Blossom
Medicinal and nonfood uses
Cyanogenic glycosides (found in most stone fruit seeds, bark, and leaves) are found in high concentration in apricot seeds. Laetrile, a purported alternative treatment for cancer, is extracted from apricot seeds. Apricot seeds were used against tumors as early as AD 502. In England during the 17th century, apricot oil was also used against tumors, swellings, and ulcers. In 2005, scientists in the Republic of Korea found that treating human prostate cancer cells with amygdalin induces programmed cell death in vitro. They concluded, "amygdalin may offer a valuable option for the treatment of prostate cancers".
A 2006 systematic review by the Cochrane Collaboration concluded: "The claim that [l]aetrile has beneficial effects for cancer patients is not supported by data from controlled clinical trials. This systematic review has clearly identified the need for randomised or controlled clinical trials assessing the effectiveness of [l]aetrile or amygdalin for cancer treatment." Given the lack of evidence, laetrile has not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The U.S. National Institutes of Health evaluated the evidence separately and concluded the clinical trials of amgydalin showed little or no effect against cancer.For example, a 1982 trial of 175 patients found tumor size had increased in all but one patient.The authors reported, "the hazards of amygdalin therapy were evidenced in several patients by symptoms of cyanide toxicity or by blood cyanide levels approaching the lethal range."
The study concluded, "Patients exposed to this agent should be instructed about the danger of cyanide poisoning, and their blood cyanide levels should be carefully monitored. Amygdalin (Laetrile) is a toxic drug that is not effective as a cancer treatment".
In Europe, apricots were long considered an aphrodisiac, and were used in this context in William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and as an inducer of childbirth, as depicted in John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi.
Due to their high fiber to volume ratio, dried apricots are sometimes used to relieve constipation or induce diarrhea. Effects can be felt after eating as few as three.
Research shows, of any food, apricots possess the highest levels and widest variety of carotenoids. Carotenoids as antioxidants may help to prevent heart disease, reduce "bad cholesterol" levels, and protect against cancer. Although initial studies suggested antioxidant supplements might promote health, later large clinical trials did not detect any benefit and suggested instead that excess supplementation may be harmful. In traditional Chinese medicine, apricots are considered helpful in regenerating body fluids, detoxifying, and quenching thirst.
In Armenia, the wood of the apricot tree is used for making wood carvings such as the duduk, which is a popular wind instrument in Armenia and is also called the apricot pipe. Several hand-made souvenirs are also made from the apricot wood.
Cyanide, believe it or not, is a dietary expectation within biologically rational quantities. Cyanide within the body is transformed into another substance called, 'thiocyanate'. Sickle cell anemia is a thiocyanate deficiency disease. Do you see what I'm getting at? Hundreds of foods we consume daily contain dietary cyanide. Provided that we don't overwhelm our natural capacities to process it safely, there is no danger. Cyanide is not an accumulative toxin.
ReplyDeleteThat said, it is totally possible to eat too many apricot kernels and feel quite unwell as a result, but a fatal dose is a very large quantity and highly unlikely. So unlikely, in fact, that it has never been medically reported in a documented, verifiable way. That is a fact that should surprise anyone vaguely familiar with this controversy.
There is a very broad range of apricot kernels available that encompass the entire spectrum of amygdalin content - from very little, to quite a lot. The bitterness of an apricot kernel is indicative of its amygdalin content. Both sweet and bitter varieties contain quantities of amygdalin. However, people don’t realize the significant range of amygdalin content of the apricot kernels being sold as “bitter” varieties.
45 apricot kernels of one variety are all that is required for a daily dose of 1,500 mg of amygdalin. This is a dose that falls within a therapeutic range. In another variety of “bitter” apricot kernels, 200 kernels would have to be consumed in order to achieve similar quantities. However, the people using this variety are still adhering to common dosage guidelines, which means, at best, they’re likely only receiving 80-100 mg of amygdalin, and that’s at 45 apricot kernels per day.
The variety of bitter apricot kernel is critical to their efficacy. The wrong variety will simply not work.
I talk about this in more detail on my own blog at http://apricot-kernels.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/apricot-kernels-some-work-some-dont.html
My mission is to promote apricot kernels correctly. There is so much misinformation online regarding apricot kernels, a large percentage of users aren't giving themselves the best chance they have. I want to clear up some of these myths and misconceptions and attempt to level out the terrain. Apricot kernels absolutely deserve respect in the realm of alternative therapies, but the propagation of misinformation will continue to mar their reputation and their efficacy.